“May I be allowed to speak? Oh, men of America! May I be allowed the privilege of speech even at the last moment? Harken to the voice of the people—”

— Albert Parsons, convicted of murder, hanging, Illinois.
Executed November 11, 1887

Parsons was an American-born anarchist who was forced to flee Texas in response to pressure from the Ku Klux Klan because of his interracial marriage. In Chicago, Parsons became a prominent labor activist and was a founding member of the International Working People’s Association. Executed along with three other Haymarket activists, he was cut off in the middle of his last words as the hangman dropped the trapdoor from beneath the four men’s feet.

In 1992, the site of the Haymarket incident was commemorated with a bronze plaque. It read:

A decade of strife between labor and industry culminated here in a confrontation that resulted in the tragic death of both workers and policemen. On May 4, 1886, spectators at a labor rally had gathered around the mouth of Crane’s Alley. A contingent of police approaching on Des Plaines Street were met by a bomb thrown from just south of the alley. The resultant trial of eight activists gained worldwide attention for the labor movement, and initiated the tradition of “May Day” labor rallies in many cities.

Designated on March 25, 1992
Richard M. Daley, Mayor

“The time will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today.”

— August Spies, convicted of murder, hanging, Illinois.
Executed November 11, 1887

Spies was a German-born immigrant who eventually became the editor of the anarchist paper Arbeiter-Zeitung. On the day of the Haymarket Riot, he spoke on stage at Haymarket Square and was still on stage when the bomb was thrown. It has been reported that he began his speech with a clear statement of nonviolence. Despite clearly not being the thrower of the bomb, he was charged with being involved in the planning of the event.

In German:
“Hurrah for anarchy!”

— George Engel, convicted of murder, hanging, Illinois.
Executed November 11, 1887

Engel was one of the four men executed after being convicted of being involved in the bombing that started the Haymarket affair. Engel, a German immigrant, had traveled to the United States because of poor economic conditions in his country. Orphaned at a young age, he was forced to work for most of his life. He was testified against by other anarchists, who claimed he had come up with a plan to bomb police stations and other targets in the event of police aggression.